Improvement in reel-rakes for harvesters



ITED STATES PATENT Qrrroa.

ROYAL (l. TAYLOR, OF BROGKPORT, NEW YORK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 170,971, dated December 14, 1875; application filed March 22, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROYAL G. TAYLOR, of Brockport, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reel-Rakes for Harvest-ers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the upper end of the carrying or supporting post P of the reel-rake, and a sectional View of one re volving arm, and its vibrating head, of the said reel rake. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same, looking in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, the cap O being removed. Fig. 3 is a face view of the head A, with the reel-arms B and their hub removed, looking in the direction of arrow 2. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the dotted line so, looking downward. Fig. 5 is an end or top sectional view of one arm looking in the direction of arrow 4. Fig. 6 is a transverse section on the dotted line as, looking in the direction indicated by arrow 3, Figs. 1 and 2 being inverted, and showing a portion of the platform D.

This invention consists, essentially, in an improved overhung reel for grain-harvesters, which is convertible into a sweep-rake, at any time by the driver or readjusted to act as a reel simply, as may be desired.

In carrying out my invention I provide a standard or post, P, which is fixed upon the frame of the machine near the front'inner corner of the platform D, a small section of which is shown in Fig. 6. This post has a sort of T-head at the top, through which is formed a horizontal bearing for the reel-shaft s. This carries the driving-wheel W, which may be a sprocket wheel or pulley, or an ordinary toothed gear, and driven from the ground or carrying wheel of the machine; and on the outer end of the shaft is hung the reel-head E, which may be provided with four arms, B, three of which are broken away in Figs. 1 and 2, or any other number may be employed. These arms are recessed, as shown, on the side toward the supporting-post, so as to receive the bent rods (t and their semi-cylindrh cal racks J. These latter are made by forming the teeth of the racks around their convex surface, and the teeth of the segmental gear of the hand-levers M are made to gear into these racks, the object of which will appear hereinafter. The inner end of the rods a is bent, so as to form a sort of lever, as shown at 10, Fig. 1. Their outer end is bent shown, so as to permit the conical-shaped pinion b to always have its apex or small end on a line with the axial center of the rod or. The pinions are formed upon the end of a hollow head or sleeve, H, to which the rakeheads H are pivoted, and the rod (1 runs through the sleeve, which is riveted or otherwise secured thereto. The arms B are bifuroated at the outer end, as shown in Fig. 2, one leg of which has a toothed rack formed upon its inner face, intowhich the pinion 1) gears. The cam L is fixed in the head A in the position shown in Fig. 3, and when the rakeheads are thrown out, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, the levers p are forced thereby, as the arms B are revolved, to swing the rakeheads H around, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 6. There is a spring, N, extending from opposite the rack J in one arm to that in the opposite one, there being a spring for each pair of rake-arms, and they are firmly secured in place by the spring-cap R, held by the nut n upon the end of the shaft 8. There is a curved lug, G, Figs. 2 and 4, fixed to the ends of these springs. The outer edge of each lug rests against one side of the segment J in its respective arm. The object of the springs is to throw the rake-heads back when the lever 19 is released from the cam L. The object of while the head H is making its changes while acting as a sweep-rake.

The general operation of my invention is as follows: When the heads H are adjusted to the position shown in Fig. 1 in full lines,

which is the position for raking, the crank arm or lever 19 comes in range with the cam L, and as the arm B swings down toward and near the front edge of the platform D the teeth of the rake-head H strike against the butts of the cut grain, and as the arm continues to revolve the crank arm or lever p strikes the end 0 of the cam L, which forces the rake to sweep laterally across to the side of the platform, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 6, while the arm B continues its revolution upon the horizontal axis, and as it rises above the axial center lever 19 passes the end 0 of the cam, thus releasing the crank or lever; and the spring N, through the lug Gr, pressing against the semi-cylindrical rack J- on the opposite side of the rod to, as before mentioned, forces the rack back to its normal position, ready to receive and discharge the next gavel. It will be seen that the cam L may be so arranged as to cause the rake to make its lateral sweep sooner or later, as it approaches the platform, and it may be made very gradual or abrupt at the end 0, which will produce a gradual or a sudden change in the lateral sweep of the rake.

' When the heads '11 are drawn in, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, so as to act as reels simply, which change is made by placing the hand-levers M in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, the lever 19 is caused to describe a circle inside of the cam L, and there fore the heads H are allowed to retain their parallelism during the who lie revolution of the arms, and when they are canged to this position the pinions b are made to revolve by the racks in the carrier-arms 13, thus inverting the rakes to the position shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. These changes from a reel to a reel-rake, and vice versa, maybe made by the driver while the machine is in operation.

The object of pivoting the teeth-head H to the reel-arm H is to permit it to adjust itself to'the platform while the former is making its lateral sweep or movement over it.

It is obvious that each head may be convertible into a rake or reel, or only one, or each alternate one, as may be desired.

It will be seen that by means of the semicylindrical form of the racks J the teeth of the hand-levers remain in gear therewith whether the rods 00 are turned upon their axisor not.

In Fig.- 6 the direction of rotation of the reel-rake is indicated by the arrow 5, and that of the travel of the machine by the arrow 6.

There may be a friction-roller applied in the rack r, and pinion 11, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The pivoted head H, carried upon the primary reversible head H, which has its axis upon the horizontal arm of the rod a, as shown and described, for the purpose of permitting the former to adjust itself to the position of the platform when required to act asa raker, and to be inverted when only required to reel.

4. In combination with the sweep-rake head H and pinion b the fixed locking-tooth 0 upon the shank d, which is attached to the arm B for the purpose of preventing the rake'head from revolving-upon its axial shaft when the pinion is carried out of gear with its governing-rackr, as when in the act of discharging a gavel.

5. In combination with the sweep-rake head H, rod a, and cam'track L, the reacting spring N, arranged to operate. substantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

.6. The spring-tension-regulating cap R, in combination With'the springs N and rods to, as and for the purposes set forth.

7. The segmental hand-lever M, in combination with the semi-cylindrical rack J upon the radially adjustable and rocking rod to, for the purposes set forth.

" R. G. TAYLOR.

Witnesses: I 1

WM. S. LOUGHBOROUGH, A. MANDEVILLE. 

